Obituary: William G. “Greg” Tinsman
Cape Elizabeth mourns the loss of long‑time public safety officer William “Greg” Tinsman
Cape Elizabeth, Maine – The Cape Elizabeth community said goodbye to William G. “Greg” Tinsman, a former police reserve officer, firefighter, dispatcher and emergency‑management director, after he died at his home on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Tinsman, 70, was born in Portland on Oct. 5, 1955, and grew up in the town with five brothers and one sister.
Tinsman graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School in 1973, where he played basketball and was a standout baseball hitter. After high school he entered public service. “He started as a reserve police officer in 1974,” said a longtime colleague. “From there he spent 32 years with the fire department and was a pillar of the community.”
In 1988 Tinsman became Cape Elizabeth’s Director of Emergency Management, a role he held until 1998. He then moved into dispatch work, earning the Maine Association of Police’s Communications Officer of the Year award in 2015. His dispatch career spanned several towns, including Kennebunk and Sanford, before he retired from the Scarborough Police Department in April 2022.
Tinsman was also known for his humor and artistic side. “He had a quick wit and an amazing ability to tell a good story,” recalled a friend. In addition, the former officer was a daily friend to a local seagull named Eric, a bird that would visit his doorstep for hot‑dog treats.
He is survived by his daughter, Lindsay Crowley (Derek), granddaughters Brooke and Kiley Crowley, son Nicholas Fogg, and brothers Richard, Thomas and Larry Tinsman, along with many nieces, nephews and cousins. Tinsman was pre‑deceased by his parents, Robert and Ruth, sister Roberta Maietta, brothers Dennis and Douglas, nephews Gary Maietta, Aaron Tinsman and Louis B. Maietta, Jr., and his beloved cat Goldie.
A public visitation will be held Thursday, Sept. 3, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Conroy‑Tully Walker Funeral Home in South Portland (1024 Broadway). A memorial service will take place Friday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. at the same funeral home, followed by a procession to Kettle Cove, a place Tinsman favored in Cape Elizabeth. Friends and family are invited to view the memorial page and submit condolences online at www.ConroyTullyWalker.com.
